Nurturing Sheep Hamlet of Cinyurup: A Parallel to SR-CRSP Field Experience (An Insight of Sheep Hamlet Cinyurup-Juhut, Province of Banten)

Abstract

Small-ruminant production activity in Indonesia is still perceived as irrational, noneconomic, and unique enterprise in the country’s existing farming system. This view is due to the fact of the diverse roles of a small ruminant in the existing farming systems in the country, particularly in West Java. In fact, small ruminants, sheep in particular, besides its capability to produce quality meat, is also perceived as a source of entertainment. Selected rams raised by the Sundanese farmers in West Java are often trained to fight, not only to determine the best fighter, but also to select the best animal for breeding purpose. Such unique features of the country’s small-ruminant production have raised special attention of scholars and field workers, as well as government offices in charge of agriculture and agriculture-related affairs. Small Ruminant Collaborative Research Support Program (SRCRSP) was a collaborative research between Indonesian government (represented by Central Research Institute of Animal Production) and the USAID that paid serious attention to the existing small-ruminant production in the country. This collaboration produced a program to conduct multi-disciplinary research of small-ruminant in Indonesia. The joint program was intended to improve the quality and other potential of small-ruminant in the existing multi-commodities farming activity in selected area in Java. The research covered technical and technological aspects of small ruminant, including social and economic aspect in selected locations. Intensive laboratory studies also conducted to improve the biological quality of sheep and goat whilst an intensive field study was conducted to scrutinize the role of social-economic and institutional variables influencing the performance of smallruminant in the existing farming systems. The collaborative program has produced comprehensive and valuable information on small-ruminant production that may be useful to alter small-ruminant production in the country. The Cinyurup Sheep Hamlet program which began in 2008 showed some features that represented or reflected outcomes of SR-CRSP program. The development of Cinyurup program displayed comparable field research methodology and strategy employed by the SR-CRSP program. Such a condition stimulated the writers to inquire whether the two cases have a parallel in any terms of the execution of the sheep hamlet program in different ecosystem and social-economy setting.